This week in airline safety and security - 5 February 2016

First fatal airliner event of 2016
The February 2nd in-flight explosion on a Daallo Airlines A321 over Somalia led to the death of one passenger and was the first fatal airliner event of 2016. At present, the investigation into the explosion is ongoing, and the authorities in Somalia have not ruled out the possibility that the explosion was caused by a bomb.

Because of the nature of the event, and the ongoing challengers faced by the government of Somalia, there may not be a full and open investigation of the event. For a fuller description of the problems that the Somali government may have with the investigation, please read this recent article from AirSafe.com's Todd Curtis

A recent crash with many similarities to the Daallo event involved a MetroJet A321 last October.

This week's A321 event was the 13th time at least one airline passenger was killed on an A320 series aircraft.

Accident report from fatal AirAsia crash from December 2014 now available
The Indonesian government recently release their final report into the 28 December 2014 crash of an AirAsia A320 that killed all 155 passengers and seven crew members. The authorities concluded that a combination of system malfunctions and crew actions led to the crash.
Crash description and a link to the accident report

Laser encounter near Heathrow leads to arrest
Earlier this week, police near London's Heathrow airport arrested a man who allegedly pointed a laser at an aircraft. Laser encounters are a serious threat not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the United States, with over 20,000 laser encounters reported in the US between 2004 and 2014.

For a detailed look at the patterns of laser encounters in the US, as well as two Todd Curtis interviews with the BBC on laser threats to aircraft, please visit lasers.airsafe.com

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French authorities release preliminary report on the Germanwings crash investigation

On 6 May 2015, the BEA (Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile) released a preliminary report on the crash of Germanwings flight 4U9525 which highlighted the following findings:

• At about three minutes after the aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, the captain left the cockpit.

• Within 30 seconds of the captain leaving the cockpit, the first officer commanded the aircraft to descend to 100 feet, which is well below ground level.

• Within five minutes of the commanded altitude change, the airspeed was changed at least ten times, reaching a maximum of 350 knots (402 mph, 648 kph).

• The descent rate reached a maximum of 5,000 feet per minute, and averaged about 3,500 feet per minute.

• The descent was continuous, and controlled by the autopilot.

• Air traffic controllers and the French military attempted to contact the aircraft several times, but received no response.

• Before the collision with the terrain, there were multiple aural warnings heard on the CVR.

• The aircraft impacted the ground about 10 minutes and 13 seconds after the aircraft started its descent.

• Autopilot and autothrust remained engaged until impact.

• On the previous flight, while the captain was out of the cockpit, the first officer twice commanded the aircraft to descend to 100 feet for short periods of time.

The role of the first officer in the crash
The preliminary report did not state a definitive cause of the crash, but it did state that during the cruise phase, the first officer was alone in the cockpit and intentionally modified the autopilot instructions to order the aircraft to descend until it collided with the ground. The report also stated that the first officer did not open the cockpit door during the descent, despite requests for access made via the keypad, with cabin interphone, and by knocking on the door.

Aircraft trajectory

(click to enlarge)

First officer training history
The preliminary report provided an outline of the first officer's training history, including the fact that he started his flight training at the Lufthansa Flight Training Pilot School in Germany on 1 September 2008, but that his training was suspended for medical reasons for over eight months, from 5 November 2008 to 26 August 2009. It was during this period, specifically from April to July 2009, that the first officer did not have a valid medical certificate due to depression and his medical treatment for his condition.

From October 2010 to March 2011, he continued his flight training in the US, but was under contract as a flight attendant with Lufthansa for over two years before beginning his training to become an A320 first officer. He was appointed as an A320 copilot in June 2014.

Related information
Germanwings crash details from AirSafe.com
Lufthansa plane crashes
Other A320 crashes
Germanwings Wikipedia page
Flight 9525 Wikipedia entry